1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a keyboard and in particular, to a light-emitting keyboard; said keyboard may be of lower manufacturing costs, greater luminance and effective circuit design with a more secure structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the popularity of computer, users not only pursue better computer efficiency but also pay more attention to the function and design of computer accessories such as mouse and keyboard. As computer has become an indispensable device in nearly every aspect of modern life from telecommunication, commerce, editing to graphics design, some manufacturers equip keyboard, one of the most important input devices for computer, with backlit keys so that the user can perform input tasks under inadequate lighting. Besides, the back lighting makes the keyboard look fancy.
Referring to the description on a light-emitting keyboard of ROC Publication No. 509955, the keyboard disposed on a bottom casing comprises: a base plate, with a plurality of fixations disposed thereon; a membrane circuit board; at least one keycap; at least one elastic member; and at least one scissor structure. An end of the scissor structure is connected to said plurality of fixations on the base plate while the other end thereof is connected to the keycap such that the keycap may move upwardly and downwardly relative to the base plate. Said at least one elastic member is disposed between the membrane circuit board and the keycap to support the keycap in an upward or vertical direction.
A shortcoming of the abovementioned prior keyboard exists in that as an end of the scissor structure is to be connected to at least one of the fixations on the base plate, said end of the scissor structure is, in fact, required to pass through openings on the membrane circuit board and then be connected to the fixations on the base plate. Such design and structure inevitably increase the number of openings required on the membrane circuit board to allow the respective ends of all the scissor structures to pass therethrough and also unfavorably cause an increase in the complexity of the design and layout of the circuit as well as the manufacturing costs of the keyboard.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved light-emitting keyboard to overcome the shortcomings of the known art, in which a scissor structure of a keyboard is required to have an end thereof pass through the openings on a membrane circuit board, so as to simplify the connections between the scissor structure and the fixations on a base plate and to provide a keyboard that may, consequently, be of lower manufacturing costs and effective circuit design.